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Apple and Boozy Sultana Filo Pastry Pie

Apples with nice fat Rum soaked sultanas encased in crispy filo pastry is not only yummy but looks good and more to the point it's nice and easy to make too.

Now, British Pie week is about to be upon us (4th to 10th March) so whatever pie you like best, you must be making one! From traditional Steak or Steak and Kidney, Chicken and Mushroom, Chicken and Ham though to savoury pies such as the much loved by almost everyone, the Apple Pie.

Readers of this blog will know by now I don't really do baking. Why? Because I can't do it - I have no patience for measuring flour and stuff. So for me, the easiest and 'cheats' option to buy ready made pastry. Filo pastry is marvelous stuff and makes everything so much easier - there's no need to fuss about trying to make it look good - just wrap your pie in filo and throw some extra sheets on top and the jobs a good'un!Of course besides the pastry and filling you also need a good pie dish. Having been sent this lovely 21cm/8" Round Pie dish by Mermaid Cookware, I can confirm it lived up to the job and the finished pie slid out of the pie dish without any problems.

The Mermaid range of bake-ware made from Hard Anodised Aluminium which is twice as hard as Stainless Steel, is ideal for baking. You can even use metal utensils, although I didn't. They are scratch resistant and will never peel or blister. Oven safe up to 240C/475F or Gas 9

Although it isn't dishwasher safe it really didn't matter. The dish took seconds to wash up in nice hot soapy water.

Bring each side over hanging piece of pastry towards the middle of the pie to cover the apple mixture - it wont cover the mixture completely this is why you've kept two sheets aside. Throw the other two sheets of pastry over the top - no need to fuss as long as they cover the mixture completely.

Brush the top with melted butter and dust with sugar.

Pop into your preheated oven (remember it must be preheated or the timings will be up the creek).

Bake on the middle shelf for 30 minutes before having a look to see if it's nice and golden brown - if it is insert a sharp knife into one of the folds of pastry so it doesn't show and see if the filling is cooked and piping hot.

If not pop it back in and check again in 5 to 10 minutes time. I'll leave the judgement to you as everyone's oven is different. Serve immediately with ice cream, cream or whatever else you fancy.

Yield: 2 greedy peopleAuthor: Jan Bennett

Apple and Boozy Sultana Filo Pastry Pie

Apples with nice fat Rum soaked sultanas encased in crispy filo pastry is not only yummy but looks good and more to the point it's nice and easy to make too.

instructions

Soak the sultanas in the rum in a very small bowl so the sultanas are more or less covered and put to one side. Now if you can leave them overnight this would be good - if not as long as possible. You want the sultans to soak up the rum and get nice and fat.

Put the apples into a bowl along with the mixed spice, sugar and the zest of the lemon and the juice of half the lemon. Drain most of the rum from the sultanas and add to the apples. Stir it to mix nicely. Now melt the butter in a small saucepan and put to one side.

Preheat your oven to 190C/375F or Gas 5

Get yourself organised before you go any further! Clear a space on your worktop (making sure it's nice and clean).

Brush your pie dish with a little melted butter. Filo pastry tears easily and drys out very quickly so try to be quick.

Lay one square sheet of filo out and brush with the melted butter and lay it in the pie dish. Repeat with another sheet - laying it the opposite way to the first sheet in the dish.

IMPORTANT! Keep two sheets of filo for the top of the pie.

Drain the liquid from your apples and sultanas and put them onto the pastry lined pie dish.

Bring each side over hanging piece of pastry towards the middle of the pie to cover the apple mixture - it wont cover the mixture completely this is why you've kept two sheets aside.

I love this bit; just throw the other two sheets of pastry over the top, there's no need to fuss as long as they cover the mixture completely.

Brush the top with melted butter and dust with sugar.

Pop into your preheated oven (remember it must be preheated or the timings will be up the creek). Bake on the middle shelf for 30 minutes before having a look to see if it's nice and golden brown - if it is insert a sharp knife into one of the folds of pastry so it doesn't show and see if the filling is cooked and piping hot.

If not pop it back in and check again in 5 to 10 minutes time. I'll leave the judgement to you as every oven is different. Serve immediately with ice cream, cream or whatever else you fancy.

Hi and welcome I'm Jan. I love cooking and of course eating. It has to be said I do like a nice kitchen gadget or fifty. I'm concerned I might be a bit of a gadget hoarder and also a food shopaholic. Click on my photo to read more!